CLEARFIELD – A Clearfield man who threatened corrections officers while attempting to escape from the Clearfield County Jail was back in court Monday to be sentenced.
Last month President Judge Fredric J. Ammerman sent John F. Moore, 43, to state prison for a mental health evaluation.
The evaluation revealed no mental health issues for Moore, Deputy District Attorney Trudy Lumadue told Ammerman during colloquy court.
Ammerman then sentenced Moore to seven months to two years less one day in the county jail followed by two years probation on charges of aggravated assault, aggravated harassment by prisoner and criminal attempt/escape.
The charges stem from an incident at the jail July 22 after Moore removed a piece of a metal desk, which he used as a weapon to threaten corrections officers and to injure himself.
During a previous sentencing hearing, Moore’s attorney Joshua Maines explained Moore was being medicated for narcotics withdrawal when this happened.
He noted that it made little sense for Moore to try to escape because he was only incarcerated on a bench warrant for not paying his fines and costs on another case.
Since he was taken off those medications, he has been stable, he said.
Lumadue also mentioned there was a question as to whether the incident was the result of Moore’s medication.
This information led Ammerman to send Moore for the evaluation rather than reject his plea agreement in January.
According to the affidavit, Moore held the shank at the neck of one of the COs, demanding to be let out of the building. Later he was locked in the garage where he tried to break an exit door with a saw horse and punched out a safety glass window. He threatened to kill himself if they did not let him out of the jail.
The situation was noted as a “psychological emergency” initially and eventually Moore was taken into custody before being transported to a hospital for treatment of his injuries.
